CenterLines is the bi-weekly e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling &
Walking. CenterLines is our way of quickly delivering news and information
you can use to create more walkable and bicycle-friendly communities.

CDC’s GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVING COMMUNITY HEALTH THROUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

On September 17th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" (CPPW) grant program. The CPPW grant program provides $373 million for urban, state, and tribal community public health departments, so that they may implement programs locally to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, decrease incidence of overweight/obesity, and decrease smoking prevalence. Thirty to forty health departments will receive funding through this competitive grant program; funding must be exhausted in 24 months, and funds cannot be used for infrastructure projects.

"Communities Putting Prevention to Work" represents an unprecedented opportunity for local departments of health to assert themselves and leave a lasting impression in transportation planning and community design. With CPPW funding, for the first time in generations, those who advocate for our collective health will be empowered and enfranchised. Finally, public health is receiving the funding that is commensurate with the challenge before us all: transforming where we live and the way we live.

The National Center for Bicycling & Walking and the Active Living Resource Center, with our long history of serving at the nexus of public health, community advocates, and transportation professionals, stand ready to assist community groups that are interested in ensuring that bike/ped master plans, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to Schools, parks, transit facilities as well as safe routes for seniors will be included in any health department’s application for CPPW funding. For those who will be applying for the CPPW grants, NCBW’s staff is ready and eager to assist you with developing plans for physical activity/obesity interventions.

For more details about the CDC’s "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" grant program please visit our website <http://www.bikewalk.org>. While there, we invited you to browse our resources, including the “Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design Guide,” which represents one the best, most concise publications to date on the many ways that public health practitioners can engage in the fields of planning and transportation. The IPA Guide can be downloaded at: http://www.bikewalk.org/pdfs/IPA_full.pdf

-> According to a Sept. 23rd news release, "A bill to extend federal surface transportation programs for three months beyond their scheduled September 30 expiration won the support of the House of Representatives today. By a vote of 335-85, the House approved and sent to the Senate H.R. 3617, a bill to extend the current surface transportation authorization through December 31."

The Sept. 28th American Bicyclist Update added this: "The final vote of 335 (247 D and 88 R) is significant in that earlier in the day, the Republican leadership decided to back a 18-month extension proposed by the Senate and the Obama Administration."

-> According to a Sept. 14th Health.Com article, "Sitting too much, even if you're otherwise active, can increase your risk for obesity and diabetes, researchers say. Even if you get in your recommended 30-minute workouts most days of the week, sitting for long periods of time appears to change your physiology, tipping your metabolic health out of your favor. It's what researchers dub the 'active couch potato' effect. And their findings aren't just about adding in another hour of aerobics or weight lifting; you simply need to move. Getting up. Stretching. Walking. Cycling. Climbing the stairs. Gardening. Playing a casual game of catch, maybe.

"But what if you're practically chained to your cubicle all day, your nose pressed against the computer screen? What if your neighborhood isn't a place where you'd want your kids to play kickball in the street—or play outside at all? What if it's not so easy to walk to the grocery store, to school, or to work?

"Enter the Move Movement. 'American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture,' out this month, is both a personal story and an investigative account. Author Mary Collins was very active until an accident made her think about physical activity in a new way. Her personal challenges turned into a years-long look at how our environment and society impacts how Americans move. (Or don't move.) I asked Ms. Collins more about what she's learned about movement, and how we can all make our lives healthier and take more steps in fighting obesity..."

Note: There's more info on "American Idle" on the NCBW website -- including instructions on getting a 35% discount!http://www.bikewalk.org/

FHWA LOOKING FOR BIKE/PED/HEALTH RESEARCH IDEAS

-> According to a Sept. 24th PBIC news release, "The Bicycle and Pedestrian Team at FHWA is seeking input and suggestions for the lines of research that should be pursued within this emphasis area.

"To submit comments, please visit (http://tinyurl.com/yehwnva) and click on 'Bicycle/ Pedestrian and Health' underneath the 'Environment' heading. Please fill out the one-page form with short, succinct comments. The deadline is December 3, 2009."

-> According to a Sept. 28th Yale/Environment 360 article by Elisabeth Rosenthal, "...Europe, particularly northern Europe, is far more environmentally conscious than the United States, despite Americans' sincere and passionate resolution to be green. Per capita CO2 emissions in the U.S. were 19.78 tons according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which used 2006 data, compared to 9.6 tons in the U.K., 8.05 tons in Italy, and 6.6 tons in France...

"Part of the problem is that the U.S. has had the good fortune of developing as an expansive, rich country, with plenty of extra space and cheap energy. Yes, we Americans love our national parks. But we live in a country with big houses. Big cars. Big commutes. Central Air. Big fridges and separate freezers. Clothes dryers. Disposable razors..."

-> The September 24th edition of the Tavis Smiley show on PBS featured the inspiring work of Dr. Yvonne Sanders-Butler: "Since '98, nutritional advocate Yvonne Sanders-Butler has been principal of Browns Mill Elementary and Magnet School, in Lithonia, GA -- the only sugar-free school in the U.S. She's also founder of Healthy Kids, Smart Kids and founder-president of Ennovy, an organization created to help ignite wellness and healthier lifestyles. Following a near-death experience due to poor health, Sanders-Butler began working with school systems to implement innovative health initiatives. She's also authored two books..."

-> According to a recent note from PBIC's Katy Jones, "The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is in the process of developing a Web-based Video Library to create a searchable collection of pedestrian and bicycle-related educational videos. The Video Library will be housed on both the walkinginfo.org and bicyclinginfo.org Web sites.

"The PBIC is currently seeking and compiling videos to be included in this library. If you have publicly available videos that you have developed and would like to be included in the Video Library, please contact Katy Jones at jones@hsrc.unc.edu or 919-843-7007. All videos must either be in digital or DVD format, be educational and non-commercial and be relevant to pedestrian and bicycle safety issues. If you have videos in other formats that you think are highly relevant to the collection or if you have any questions about the library, please contact us."

READY FOR THE PEOPLE POWERED MOVEMENT PHOTO CONTEST?

According to a Sept. 29th news release, "The Alliance for Biking & Walking launched the People Powered Movement Photo Contest on September 1st, commencing a three month competition as amateur and professional photographers alike vie for the prize of an all-expenses-paid 10-day bike tour of Tuscany and a year's supply of CLIF BARs.

"Additional prizes for the winner include having their photos published in the 2010 March/April issue of Momentum Magazine and choosing a local biking or walking advocacy organization to receive a $1,000 Communications Grant. Two runners-up will win a new commuter bike, and the first three places in each category will receive such prizes as Rickshaw bags and Planet Bike gear.

"Submitted photos will serve to build the Alliance for Biking & Walking Advocacy Photo Library, which will provide free high-quality images to grassroots organizations promoting biking and walking. Entries will be accepted through November, and public voting will take place from December 1st -- December 31st. Finalists' photos will be judged by a panel of experts, who will determine the winners..."

-> According to a Sept. 25th Forbes Asia Magazine article, "On a sun-speckled afternoon in late August New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan is in Times Square, expounding on the delights of a 2.5-acre pedestrian plaza she created three months ago. It displaces the 53,000 cars that crawled through the area daily with a strangely calm oasis where 356,000 people traipse beneath flashing billboards and jumbotrons.

"'Have you sat down in these chairs before?' she asks, smiling...'You can really see the skyline and the streetscape,' she continues. 'This precolonial footpath has cut through the heart of New York's grid and created congestion for over 200 years.' Instead of gridlock, the scattered red chairs and cafe tables on painted asphalt now play host to an international cast of characters..."

-> According to a Sept. 28th Washington Post article, "[Montgomery County, Maryland,] officials on Tuesday will propose requiring health studies before major roads are approved. They want to gauge how vehicle exhaust will affect minors, seniors, women who might have children, heart patients and others.

"'If one lives close to a major highway, it can have real impacts on respiratory function and lung capacity,' said council member Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At Large), who is introducing the idea with four of her colleagues. 'If a project is going have a negative impact on the population...we have an obligation as public servants to work with that information and make sure we protect the public's health and well-being.'

"The regulation would require predicting pollution levels near proposed roads and their effects decades into the future. Major state and county roads within 1,000 feet of parks, schools, day-care centers, retirement homes or hospitals would be affected. Federal highways would get a pass..."

-> According to a Sept. 20th Free Press article, "About 2,000 bicyclists took to Detroit's streets Saturday for a two-wheel glimpse of the Motor City in the eighth annual Tour de Troit bike ride. The 30-mile tour started and ended at Roosevelt Park near Michigan and old the Michigan Central Station and looped through downtown, the New Center, Indian Village and other areas. The goal of the police-escorted ride is to promote cycling as a mode of transport and raise funds for creating a bike-friendly greenbelt linking Corktown to southwest Detroit.

According to cyclist Bob Lofthouse, "'It's a big deal because you get to tour the city. You go through the rough parts and get a good balance of what's going on. You raise funds for the green space. It's not just bike enthusiasts. People here have heard about it in all sorts of ways.' "Advocates of creating the Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink say it would tackle a growing health problem in that section of the city. 'We have children and families that are part of the obesity problem. This is a way to get them active, exercising,' Greenlink coordinator Rosalinda Ybarra said..."

-> According to a Sept. 20th Enquirer article, "America's children, like their parents, have a weight problem. More pediatricians are diagnosing their young patients with obesity-related health complications, including Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center just established the Center for Better Health and Nutrition, a multi-specialty initiative aimed at treating obesity and its medical complications in children.

"The center is one of a few in the U.S., and offers a full spectrum of services, hospital officials say." According to Robert Siegel, director of the new center, 'Obesity rates have tripled in the last 30 years...In one study we did, 44 percent of kids here were overweight or obese by the time they were 8 to 10.' Ohio and Kentucky rank high nationally for overweight kids and adults. Kentucky ranks fourth nationally for fattest kids 10 to 17, and seventh for fattest adults, according to a July report from Trust for America's Health. The same report found that Ohio ranks 10th for overweight adults, and 15th for fattest kids…”

-> In a Sept. 29th San Diego News Network article, Danielle Gano wrote, "There is an office one floor below mine that always piques my interest. I pass it every time I head to the second-floor vending machine and admire its environmentally-friendly practices (they even keep their lights dimmed when they don't have visitors) and pleasant atmosphere. The office belongs to Walk San Diego, a nonprofit organization I had no idea existed until today...

"While gorging on an acai bowl from Market 32 during lunch today, I casually began browsing Walk San Diego's site. Little did I know the walkable neighborhoods I've enjoyed the past seven years were there partially thanks to Walk San Diego, a diligent group that works to make our community walker-friendly. This grassroots organization formed in 1998 and works to transform our city, which was designed with automobiles in mind post-World War II..."

-> According to a Sept. 27th Parade article, "For a bicyclist, Darwin Hindman is rather nattily attired, wearing a crisp tweed blazer and an orange silk tie as he pilots his ancient mountain bike through the center of Columbia, Missouri. Hindman, 76, is this Midwestern town's mayor and a survivor of both esophageal and prostate cancer. As he glides along, coattails flying, he is savoring the streets of Columbia, which he's transforming into one of the nation's premier cycling cities. 'Here outside this cafe is a huge corral of racks for locking your bike,' Hindman says, riding along happily. 'And here, we've painted a bike lane. We want bicyclists to feel as happy as larks out in the road.'

"Until recently, Columbia (pop. 100,733) was, like most American cities, designed almost exclusively for automobile transit, offering up a host of four-lane mini-highways over which motorists could zoom between parking lots. For Hindman, a retired lawyer, the situation was all wrong. ‘If we depend too much on cars, then we increase our reliance on foreign oil, childhood obesity goes up, and life just isn't as much fun,’ he says…”

-> According to a Sept. 29th Buffalo News article, "A group of University at Buffalo graduate students is trying to find a way to make it possible for children to rediscover the joy of getting to and from school on their own. The students are meeting with parents and students in the Williamsville Central School District from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Amherst Pepsi Center.

"Samina Raja, an associate professor in the department of urban and regional planning at UB, is working on the semester-long project in which students develop a professional plan for a client in the real world. The purpose of the meeting Wednesday is to gather information for a draft report to be completed by the end of November. In this case, the client is the Town of Amherst, which is looking for ways to make the town more walkable. This portion of the project deals with Williamsville schools and how to make walking or bicycling to school safe and appealing..."

-> According to a Sept. 8th news release, "The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded more than $3.6 million through its Safe Routes to School program to 22 municipalities and local agencies. More than $3.4 million will go to 13 projects that include constructing new sidewalks or greenways, and installing school zone signs, bicycle parking racks and pedestrian signals.

-> According to a Sept. 3rd Crosscut article, "...The problem with sharrows is that they are a poor solution. Their meaning is not intuitive. Is the space they mark intended for a bike or a car -- or both? Why is this one set out in the lane and that one over on the side? Who has priority?

"They are easy to implement but a confusing waste of paint compared to a proper bike lane. Other than serving as a way for politicans to attempt to spray-paint their way to reelection, sharrows don't really work very well..."

In response, a Seattle DOT employee wrote, "The sharrow is a relatively new pavement marking. The use of sharrows has been found to reduce accidents by better positioning the driver and the bicyclist in the lane, and by making motorists more aware that bicyclists may be present."

The discussion is about 3 times as long as the article and there are many good points. Check it out here:

"...The yellow decals that give nearly 85,000 solo drivers of fuel-sipping hybrids -- mainly Toyota Priuses -- free access to the state's carpool lanes are set to expire at the end of 2010...Transit advocates argue the state should use the lanes as intended, for carpools and buses..."

-> According to a Sept. Science Daily article, "This fall, the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) will explore the many ways animals benefit people of all ages during the International Society for Anthrozoology and Human-Animal Interaction Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 20-25.

"'Research in this field is providing new evidence on the positive impact pets have in our lives,' said Rebecca Johnson, associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, the College of Veterinary Medicine and director of ReCHAI. 'This conference will provide a unique opportunity to connect international experts working in human-animal interaction research with those already working in the health and veterinary medicine fields. A wonderful array of presentations will show how beneficial animals can be in the lives of children, families and older adults.'...

"'The older people who walked their dogs improved their walking capabilities by 28 percent,' Johnson said. 'They had more confidence walking on the trail, and they increased their speed. The older people who walked with humans only had a 4 percent increase in their walking capabilities. The human walking buddies tended to discourage each other and used excuses such as the weather being too hot.'..."

-> According to a note from Robert Cortright of the Oregon Dept. of Land Conservation and Development, the CL #237 story about the Toronto professor research showing cyclists are responsible for less than 10% of car/cycle crashes is not quite right. In following up on the story to see the research I see that the source site printed a correction that says the Professor was referring to research in NYC:

"Dr. Chris Cavacuiti has informed us that his interview contains a factual error. In the interview, Dr. Cavacuiti is quoted as saying 'The [Toronto Collision] study concluded that cyclists are the cause of less than 10 per cent of bike-car accidents.' Dr. Cavacuiti has asked us to make readers aware that the Toronto Collision study was actually designed to look at the cause of bicycle/motorist collisions but not culpability.

"It is actually several studies conducted by the Charles Komanoff and member of the Right of Way organization in New York that concluded that cyclists were strictly culpable for less than 10 per cent of bike-car accidents. Dr. Cavacuiti would like to apologize for any confusion this error may have caused."

-> "Although an extension of current law and funding levels is a far cry from my preferred approach to addressing the nation’s growing transportation challenges, we must pass an extension to provide continuity of funding for infrastructure projects, cutting edge research, and highway safety programs across the country that are putting Americans to work, saving lives, and fostering economic prosperity for businesses and consumers alike."
-- James Oberstar, US Representative, Minnesota 8th Congressional Districthttp://tinyurl.com/yecr3bs

-> "I had four educational degrees, working on a doctorate, and yet I was ignorant about how the lack of good nutrition...very little physical activity...was in my life. I did all the right things but when it came to nutrition and physical activity, that wasn't in my life and I almost lost my life."
-- Dr. Yvonne Sanders-Butlerhttp://tinyurl.com/y9lw47m

-> "Be an Ambassador for Cycling: Just because there's some road rager out there who wants to mix it up with cyclists doesn't mean that we have to dance to his tune. The most powerful things we can do to effect positive change in the road environment are proactive, not reactive. You have the power to bring a positive influence to your road environment, just as you have the power to bring a negative influence to your road environment..."
-- Bob Mionske, Bicycling Magazine
Source: http://tinyurl.com/lc5kcf
Via Kansas Cycling News: http://tinyurl.com/ycg74ss

-> "The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council's 'Shared Vision' plan does a great job directing development toward concentrated mixed-use areas, and it envisions more walkable, bikeable neighborhoods..."
-- Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sept. 28, 2009http://tinyurl.com/yczfv6d

AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

STILT WALKING: HOW DO WE LEARN THOSE FIRST STEPS?
[article by Akram and Frank; Ergonomics, Volume 52, Issue 9 September 2009, pages 1119-1127]

"This study examined how young healthy adults learn stilt walking. Ten healthy male university students attended two sessions of testing held on two consecutive days. In each session participants performed three blocks of 10 stilt-walking trials. Angular movements of head and trunk and the spatial and temporal gait parameters were recorded. When walking on stilts young adults improved their gait velocity through modifications of step parameters while maintaining trunk movements close to that observed during normal over-ground walking..."

-> "CONGESTION PRICING BASICS"
Featured article in the July-August 2009 issue of the TR News. (general info and link to 199kb pdf)http://tinyurl.com/ycyeo75

-> "THE NATURAL STEP SUSTAINABILITY PRIMER" and
"Planning for Sustainability: A Starter Guide;" two new toolboxes from The Natural Step, Ottawa, ON, CA. (Basic info and link to downloads)http://tinyurl.com/y8lfckj

Additional training
opportunities are available on the National Center for Bicycling &
Walking web site. Add your own items to the on-line calendar...it's quick
and easy. Please be sure your calendar items pertain to training and workshops
in the bicycle, pedestrian, or livable community fields. Go to:http://www.bikewalk.org/calendar.php

Location: Tumwater, Washington
Salary: Up to $91,524 annually, depending on qualifications
Posting Date: September 22, 2009
Closing Date: Open until filled. First review will begin on October 14, 2009.

AGENCY PROFILE: Agency goals and policies are established by the seven-member Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Life Cycle UK is currently recruiting for an inspirational new director to replace Peter Andrews who is off to pastures new. This is a golden opportunity for an ambitious and talented person who is passionate about cycling to lead this thriving charity through its next stage of development. You will need to be able to cope with a multitude of tasks and challenges, to be good at detail and the minutiae of Life Cycle's day-to-day activities, and you also need to have regard for the bigger picture. You will be responsible for a staff team of seven and a pool of freelance instructors and mechanics. The successful applicant will be responsible for managing the on-going operation of Life Cycle as well as the longer term development and growth of the organisation.

Are you passionate about bicycling? Are you an executive leader that wants to lend your skills to an organization that advocates for bicyclists and a bike-friendly Washington? Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW) seeks an Executive Director to lead the nonprofit organization which is comprised of more than 2,000 members who are engaged in the goal of making Washington State more bike-friendly. The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for the organization's consistent achievement of its mission, annual work plans and financial objectives. The Executive Director will supervise four full-time staff, a half-time contract Development Director and a contract lobbyist.

The search is being managed by a board-search committee, with support from Alford Group Executive Search. To apply, all candidates should submit their cover letter and resume and complete the online application at http://tinyurl.com/lbpm9n. All other inquiries should be directed to: Donna at <donnag@bicyclealliance.org>. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.